Chapter 5 - The Wait

Translator: humu

You must have seen a beggar before, but have you ever seen a beggar this extravagant, this leisurely, and this pretty before?! Well, no matter if you have seen such a person, this was my first time witnessing it. Yes, that’s right. My first time, right at this very moment.

“MAMA——” A clear and watery pair of eyes stared at Bai Dan. Bai Dan would walk to the left, and he would follow to the left. Bai Dan would walk right, he would follow to the right. In his hands was a dirty and broken bowl, there was even a…… 10 yuan coin inside?!

“Ah!” My goodness, this beggar was truly too terrifying. So sly and cunning. Bai Dan reckoned that he must have not had enough sleep. Bai Dan walked back home as he comforted himself. Bai Dan casually closed the door, but right at this time, someone had pushed him down onto the glistering and spotless ceramic tiles. That pair of bright and shimmering big eyes still shone with translucent, pearly balls of tears.

With one kick of the leg, the main door slammed shut.

Not even sparing Bai Dan the time to lament at the pain throbbing at the back of his head, the beggar was riding his body. He kept rubbing and snuggling up to Bai Dan. Whiffs of a faint fragrance kept whooshing towards Bai Dan’s nose.

Oh gosh, blame it all on me for not looking at the yellow calendar 1 before leaving the house.

“Mama—— I’m hungry!!” The tiny figure…… No, the big figure used a mature voice to speak with a tender tone. Even the self-proclaimed, highly adaptable and accepting Bai Dan couldn’t help, but shiver, his body full of goosebumps.

“You get up first, I’ll make something for you to eat.” With one move, Bai Dan pushed the beggar off him. The beggar had thrown away his money making tool before flinging himself onto Bai Dan. Bai Dan stood up and dusted himself off, ridding the dirt from his bottom. Yup, Bai Dan was a freak with a mild mysophobia, where one could never treat or look at him normally.

The beggar hadn’t even let go for more than a second, before sticking back onto Bai Dan. Fair and slender hands tugged firmly onto Bai Dan’s shirt, as if deeply fearful of being abandoned.

Oh my god, just who did I provoke?! Forget it, just let it be. Maybe this is some rich young master that I can blackmail……. Right? The more Bai Dan thought about it, the less probability that had. But no matter which angle one viewed from, today’s incidents were all impossible?! Impossible multiplied by impossible, equals to possible…… but impossible plus impossible, was still impossible.

“Carrying” that person to the bedroom on the second floor, Bai Dan opened his closet and stared at it for a long time, before taking out an extra large sized pajama.

“Oi, go shower!” Without the guts to directly hand over the clean clothes to the male, Bai Dan lifted his head and gazed at the male’s eyes. The pair of eyes, that no longer glistened with tears, were now visibly enlarged.

What a perfect model! As K Company’s Chief Photographer, Bai Dan could feel his occupational senses tingling. Although the company’s models were considered perfect, once they spent enough time mingling in this circle, their bodies would, more or less, get contaminated with all sorts of smells, concealing their original exquisite elegance. After that, no matter how long they shoot, Bai Dan couldn’t capture that sort of feeling he wanted. But since he took others’ money, he had to do something for others. If they found it acceptable, then so be it.

As he feasted on his breakfast, Bai Dan thought back about the scene he saw previously. That male clearly looked fair and could evoke pity. But the body under the clothes was pretty robust. Not overly strong, but not overly soft and tender.

“Mama, washy wash……” For some reason, Bai Dan had the sudden impulse to ruthlessly rip apart the illusion brought by the beggar’s naive and innocent smile.

Ever since Bai Dan stepped out into society, to lead his life to success, he had no longer become impervious to reason for all matters. But that fleeting thought which flashed past still scared himself.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, washy wash….. You can eat once you’re ready. Sit over there at that table.”

“Leng’er, Mama, call me Leng’er.” With a lowered head, the named Leng’er had a blissful and contented smile hanging on his face.

“Leng’er?!”

“En.”

“……”

After finishing a full day of work, it was the first time Bai Dan felt like he didn’t wish to return home. Ah, it was still nice at the office. The wages and benefits were good, even the service was top-notch.

“Teacher Bai, why are you still here? Aren’t you usually the first one to leave? Don’t tell me you’ve been dumped.” Others had a gorgeous beauty for an assistant, but contrary to expectations, Bai Dan just had to find himself a tall and buff, married man as his assistant.

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“If you want to go, just go. Watch out for yourself, I might just hook your wife in. How sad for a man to return home with no one waiting!”

“Teacher Bai, please don’t! It’s not like you don’t know how much my wife fancies you. As long as you twist your pinky, she will immediately abandon me for you, can you bear to do that to me?”

Alright, Bai Dan felt immense disgust when his own assistant pretended to act pitiful. Compared to a certain someone at home, it was truly too horrendous. It was like comparing Heaven to Hell.

“Hurry and get lost, I feel so annoyed just looking at you.”

“Yes sir!”

Yue Mo stayed another half hour in the office. Bai Dan could no longer sit still. If he had nothing to do, his thoughts would run wild. Once it was on the loose, Bai Dan would remember that there was still a stranger lingering in his own house…… Then, he would think of that male, who perhaps had some screws loose.

My god——

Bai Dan grabbed his bag and hurried back home.

Just as his key went through the hole, the door was impatiently opened before he could even turn the knob.

“MaMa——”

F*ck! Bai Dan couldn’t help screaming in his heart. Once he arrived home, he was welcomed with such fervent passion. This attitude really couldn’t make one compliment on it. Besides, Bai Dan was a proper musculine male, how could he let others call him ‘MaMa‘? He wasn’t aware that he had such an ability.

“MaMa, MaMa, MaMa—— Leng’er misses you so much! Why did MaMa come home so late!” Rubbing off the cold airs on Bai Dan, the warmth emitting from Leng’er made Bai Dan feel a little warmer at that moment.

“……It was busy in the office.” Bai Dan couldn’t give himself a reason as to why he had to give Leng’er an explanation. He should clearly be spiteful and annoyed at this guy. But somewhere, in the depths of his heart, was a voice that kept prompting Bai Dan to fulfil all the expectations and anticipations Leng’er had. Wasn’t this just so odd?

“Leng’er was a good boy. Leng’er knows that MaMa is busy…… So Leng’er stayed at home waiting for MaMa, like a good boy…….” Leng’er tilted his face and donned a sweet, honeyed smile. As he proudly showed himself off to Bai Dan, who was still troubled over his own attitude, Leng’er held hands with Bai Dan and led them into the house that belonged to them both.

Just like this, Bai Dan’s empty heart now had an extremely foolish male residing in it. But there were losses and gains. He lost a heart that belonged exclusively to him, but in turn, was given a warm meal every day and an enveloping toasty hug. No matter rain or shine, in the time span of half a year, as they shared their lives, that person remained firmly by his side.

“Dan, if there ever comes a day when I’m not by your side, will you miss me?” With the efforts of 100+ days, Bai Dan had finally made Leng’er throw away the words “MaMa” from his vocabulary. When the words were replaced with ‘Dan’, the interaction between them had a very slight change.

“Oh please. If you’re not by my side, where else will you go, silly? Sleep, why are you thinking so much? Don’t tell me you hit your head today when you fell!?” The hectic day nearly made Bai Dan’s eyes unable to stay open. As he closed his eyes, he replied Leng’er with a muddled head, not at all noticing the difference between the Leng’er of present and past.

Flipping his body, Bai Dan pulled up the blanket and had his back facing Leng’er as he slept.

Yes, Leng’er had indeed knocked his head when he fell today. If possible, he truly wished that everything had not happened. Sadly, the memories had come back, and accompanied with it, was the unwavering need for the disappearance of Leng’er.

Looking at the figure sleeping soundly next to him, even if his heart was evermore reluctant to leave, Leng’er was left with no choice. As a person borned from darkness, he was destined to never have a weakness, even more a lover.

30 years old and independent, the peak of a male’s life was at its beginning. As a famous photographer with much attention, Bai Dan had actually announced his retirement to the back office. Ever since then, he faded from the views of others. Many found it regrettable for him. He had an endlessly promising, bright future in front of him. How could he just say that he didn’t want it anymore and drop everything? But there were others that rejoiced, for there was one less strong competitor, one more chance of standing higher, to view further into the horizon.

‘Don’t ask for my whereabouts, don’t try to find me. You guys just need to know that I’m very happy. Bai Dan.’

Bai Dan left. No one knew where he went. Those that respected him, didn’t try to seek him. Those that tried to find him, never had success.

A wintery day was filled with brilliant white snow. Those snowflakes fell down from the sky as it melted into the background, shining ever so brightly, so clearly.

One person stood in front of the window. Donning a single thin piece of clothing, which revealed a beautiful clavicle, in which that curvature could never compare to the happiness lingering at the corner of his lips.

Footsteps sounded from behind that person. Then, a coat was draped onto the male’s shoulders. Following the coat, was an embrace and a light whisper by his ears.

“Dan, I love you.”

His right hand held onto the left hand of the person behind him. The long awaited happiness was well cherished by these two. That was all that they needed.

“Leng, I love you.”

T/N: whew, this story is actually pretty interesting! is Leng a mafia member? a gang member? a shadow knight? HAHA~

Edited by: Mochiusagi

Footnotes

dates of auspiciousness and fortune